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Garza done in Detroit

BirdistheWord said:
I just find it odd. He only made about $900K and was first team all G League. He will land on an NBA roster IMO.
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I just hope there is more than one team interested in him, so he can make a decision for the better fit.

Quicker feet and better jumping ability could do wonders for him - I'll bet he is working on that with his Dad.

Europe? Hope not. But, he might be the best player there if he goes over for a year.
 
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Hard to believe a guy with his scoring ability, he can't find a roster spot. You know he's only getting better too with the way he works. If he's shooting a solid three percentage...his ability to bring bigs out to open the lane is huge. He needs to be able to defend and rebound too...but the offense could be helpful for some teams.

I would love to see him land in San Antonio or Golden State. Golden State may make sense as crazy as that sounds. I know Bjelica is 34 now...and he's the back up at the 4 or 5 depending on who is in the game. Garza's game reminds me of Bjelica's game...although Bjelica moves better. He gets around 15 minutes a game.
 
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Hawk_4shur said:
I just hope there is more than one team interested in him, so he can make a decision for the better fit.

Quicker feet and better jumping ability could do wonders for him - I'll bet he is working on that with his Dad.

Europe? Hope not. But, he might be the best player there if he goes over for a year.
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His work ethic is never in question. Unfortunately the deficit that he has in quickness and pure athletic ability is significant. With the quality of athletes in the league he continues to be a matchup that opposing teams can readily exploit on the defensive end.
I'm no expert on the NBA by any stretch, but the way the game is played now does not seem to suit Luka well.
 
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Mavericks strike me as the only NBA team that plays a lot of bigs that are good shooters/questionable defenders. Luka's game is probably better suited for Europe.
 
Hard work and maximum effort got Luca about as far as possible in the college.
The nba however is a completely different animal.
Definitely admirable to chase the dream but aside from a couple situations, the center position in the nba has similar credibility as the RB position in the nfl. Interchangeable and underpaid.
As been discussed here many times, Luca’s game will suit the European style better and while he still has plenty of gas in the tank, it might be time to follow the Aaron White path and go make some $.
 
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SDHawkDoc said:
His work ethic is never in question. Unfortunately the deficit that he has in quickness and pure athletic ability is significant. With the quality of athletes in the league he continues to be a matchup that opposing teams can readily exploit on the defensive end.
I'm no expert on the NBA by any stretch, but the way the game is played now does not seem to suit Luka well.
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You've pegged things correctly. Work ethic or putting in more time are not the issues for him. it's not a matter of working more to increase footspeed or jumping ability. There are limits to that for every person. No amount of work he would put in is going to make him a plus defender in the NBA.

I understand the sentiment from fans here for him to go get paid in Europe. If he decides that's the way to go, fantastic. But also respect the effort he has put in so far and wanting to see if he catches on with another team. Very few thought he would ever take part in a NBA regular season game, and he did that.
 
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According to Basketball Reference, Luka only played 4 games with Motor City averaging 25 points and 8 rebounds.
 
Ronman said:
According to Basketball Reference, Luka only played 4 games with Motor City averaging 25 points and 8 rebounds.
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Not sure those stats are correct. Per NBA G League stats, he played in 16 games, averaged 20.6 points and 9.5 rebounds. 30 minutes a game.
 
SDHawkDoc said:
His work ethic is never in question. Unfortunately the deficit that he has in quickness and pure athletic ability is significant. With the quality of athletes in the league he continues to be a matchup that opposing teams can readily exploit on the defensive end.
I'm no expert on the NBA by any stretch, but the way the game is played now does not seem to suit Luka well.
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Exactly. He would get pick and rolled to death in a tight game situation. I am hopeful his offensive game will be so good he can find a spot on a roster.
 
7 points and 4 boards in 16 minutes against Detroit. 2 for 6 from the field. 1 for 2 from 3. 2 blocks. +/- of -6.
Stats alone aren't necessarily THE factor for a guy who's likely to be the last one to make a roster, but that line looks "meh".
Will be interesting to see what kind of minutes he gets over the next games.
 
It pains me to say this, but I believe Luka's dream to be an NBA player is about to come to an end. Feel badly for the guy when you consider how hard he worked to get this far. Last year at this time, we were all excited about his performance for the Piston's summer league team, but now is getting very little time or results with Portland. Maybe he will get a shot with another NBA team, but it just might be time to consider the European route to success.
 
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Ronman said:
It pains me to say this, but I believe Luka's dream to be an NBA player is about to come to an end. Feel badly for the guy when you consider how hard he worked to get this far. Last year at this time, we were all excited about his performance for the Piston's summer league team, but now is getting very little time or results with Portland. Maybe he will get a shot with another NBA team, but it just might be time to consider the European route to success.
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To be fair to Luka, portlands summer team is a dumpster fire, at least based on watching the first QTR last night. It is not the type of situation where Garza can shine as a big man. No flow or structure to the offense, bad backcourt play, both of which are critical for a big man to succeed. I’m not ready to concede Garzas days in the nba are finished, but the odds are getting longer. I still can’t help but believe a contending team will find value in him to fill a end of the bench roster spot amd add to the team chemistry and locker room. Getting another year or two to qualify for an nba pension has to be a goal, so I suspect he is going to do everything in his powers to make it work. If after three or four years it becomes clear his window of opportunity has closed, then I could see him entertaining a career overseas. Until then, I think it’s clear he is all in on the NBA. Sure hope it happens for him.
 
C/Seahawk said:
To be fair to Luka, portlands summer team is a dumpster fire, at least based on watching the first QTR last night. It is not the type of situation where Garza can shine as a big man. No flow or structure to the offense, bad backcourt play, both of which are critical for a big man to succeed. I’m not ready to concede Garzas days in the nba are finished, but the odds are getting longer. I still can’t help but believe a contending team will find value in him to fill a end of the bench roster spot amd add to the team chemistry and locker room. Getting another year or two to qualify for an nba pension has to be a goal, so I suspect he is going to do everything in his powers to make it work. If after three or four years it becomes clear his window of opportunity has closed, then I could see him entertaining a career overseas. Until then, I think it’s clear he is all in on the NBA. Sure hope it happens for him.
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I hope you are right Seahawk. Contending teams don't need chemistry guys or good fits in the locker room. They already have all of that with their current rosters. Contending teams have guys fill out the end of the roster that fill a void, or can serve a purpose.

As you, I won't count Garza out. He will always try and give his best, and he does have real talent on the offensive end. But it's somewhat obvious that his skill set just isn't what the NBA is looking for. And it's not a conspiracy to keep him out of the NBA, just like the WNBA isn't out to deny Gustafson a bigger role.
 
C/Seahawk said:
To be fair to Luka, portlands summer team is a dumpster fire, at least based on watching the first QTR last night. It is not the type of situation where Garza can shine as a big man. No flow or structure to the offense, bad backcourt play, both of which are critical for a big man to succeed.
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I am wondering how he ended up in Portland. Garza has always been someone who needed "the right fit" to shine, and it's pretty clear Portland isn't it. Did he have any other options? If so, one wonders how he chose so poorly. If not, one wonders if his NBA days are pretty numbered.
 
I think Garza’s time is about over too. Jabari Walker, their second round pick, has played tremendously and will get at least a two way contract. I don’t know how may roster spots they have left open but they already have 17 players on their books for the coming year. That, and he hasn’t played enough to show any improvements to other teams.
 
14 minutes of play with 4 points and 4 rebounds and a +/- of -14 isn't going to help his cause.

There just does not appear to be a spot in the current NBA for Luka's strength with low post offense. His weaknesses with lack of foot speed/quickness are really hurting him. As has been noted, opposing teams can exploit him on the pick and roll over and over.

Maybe something will shake out for him with another team and he'll get yet another shot.
 
Lumas Etima said:
I am wondering how he ended up in Portland. Garza has always been someone who needed "the right fit" to shine, and it's pretty clear Portland isn't it. Did he have any other options? If so, one wonders how he chose so poorly. If not, one wonders if his NBA days are pretty numbered.
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It was probably a referral from fellow Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic who he knows. From Portland’s perspective, they were probably wondering if he could be an option for a few games if Nurkic’s injury issues continue.
 
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